Australia
I Used to Be Normal is a heartwarming reaffirmation of the power of fandom, a heartwarming, non-judgemental documentary that’s not just for boyband fans.
For MIFF Week One, Alex Lines reviews several films he was able to see, including Agnieszka Smoczynska’s new film, Matteo Garrone’s Dogman, and more.
In our first Melbourne International Film Festival report, we cover a collection of films, including Columbian crime dramas, a time-bending German war film, and an experimental exercise in young adult race relations.
Alex Lines attended Revelation Perth International Film Festival 2018, reporting on the films he was able to see there, among them Ghost Stories and Our New President.
Brother’s Nest is a return to form for Shane and Clayton Jacobson, their comic noir feeling like an Australian Hitchc*ck film.
Ali’s Wedding is an unabashed presentation of a Muslim love story that feels both brave and necessary.
Much like a drive along Australia’s expansive coastal roads, Just Between Us is a breezy, casual ride that doubles as a nice nature documentary on the sunny side of Australia.
Upgrade a gleefully nasty film that relies on a unique mixture of futuristic beautiful landscapes and old-school grindhouse fun.
Despite Baker’s adept directional skills, and solid performances from the whole cast, Breath feels inconsequential, and the sombre visual and thematic tone feels like every other Australian social realist drama.
Both The Night Eats the World and Cargo, despite their differing subjects and approaches, manage to bring both meat and brains to the zombie film.
Both Phantom Cowboys and Island of the Hungry Ghosts are finely wrought documentaries which also touch on universal themes. Though taking place in isolated communities, they reflect on the struggle for happiness inherent in the human condition itself.
With poignancy, grit, and proficiency, Sweet Country gazes out at the vast Australian outback while also deeply examining the darkness of humanity within.
Alex Lines spoke with Warwick Thornton, director of the upcoming Australian film Sweet Country, which has already hit the festival circuit and will be released this year.
The Spierig Brothers’ latest “based on a true story” horror movie Winchester is a cinematic checklist of every dreadful ‘haunted house’ cliche, every formulaic competent that’s been implemented by other, better genre entries.
Chinese-Australian co-production Guardians of the Tomb is one of the most cliched, dull and shamelessly corporate creature features you could possibly imagine.